Louisville Councilman Used Fake ID in Bathhouse Witch Hunt

Claiming he didn’t want to be ‘recognized’ as a city official, Louisville Metro Councilman David James argued he “found” identification on a public sidewalk he used to gain entry to Vapor Spa – a private membership gay men’s health club in in the city’s Smoketown neighborhood. He gained entry as a part of a larger smear campaign attempting to block their proposed expansion entailing a$20 million project called The Village. “Those plans include building a hotel, two restaurants and a 450,000-square-foot event space at the location, which is across from the former site of Male High School,” according to the Courier-Journal.

Though he is a self-proclaimed opponent of sex clubs (gay or straight), Vapor Spa is the only alleged sex club in Louisville he personally visited ‘undercover’ in order to publicly oppose their business expansion.

Wave 3 News reported on James’ comments stating, “James said Vapor’s owner accusing him of attacking the gay community is ridiculous. He said gay or straight, with no laws on the books here, a discussion about sex clubs should be had before allowing the developer to close alleys around the complex for a planned $20 million expansion.”

James said, according to the CDC, about 20 percent of the men who have sex with men in Louisville, who have been investigated by the health department and have an STD, admit to visiting Vapor.

“We have issues of sexually transmitted diseases according to the health department coming through there. But the bigger problem is this is a place that advertises and suggests lude behavior at its location,” James said.

Those who study modern history know this is the exact same argument used against the LGBTQ community at the height of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. Citing a percentage of a population as having an STD and pointing out that they have been at any facility – sex club, grocery store or church – does not mean they contracted that STD at that location. Those 20% of men could have contracted an STD literally anywhere; the CDC does not capture that information. For James to disingenuously cite that statistic as a reason to attack a business isn’t just misleading, it’s downright homophobic.

Developer George Stinson – also a part owner in the spa – echoed this in his statements on James’ correlating the two. “What percent of those men also went to church on Sunday or visited the grocery store? I have operated gay businesses for 40 years and every one has been called a sex club. It never stops,” he said.

He also touched on the legality of presenting falsified identification to enter the spa.

“If you’re falsifying who you are, you have something to hide,” Stinson said. “That violates what we have put our mission to be, a private male club.”

James defended his use of someone else’s identification arguing, “I thought if I used my name that I may not be able to gain access to find out what’s actually going on there.” He added, “Had I not been able to actually see what was going on in there, we would have to depend on him saying, ‘no, nothing is going on there, this is a spa, health club,’ which in fact it’s not.’”

James should already know the law surrounding this as he is a former Louisville police officer.

Councilwoman Barbara Sexton Smith, who represents the 4th District where the spa is located, said she supports Stinson’s development project. She said she is aware of James’ concerns but that another committee or agency would be a better forum for that discussion.

“If there’s questions about the type of business or activity that will be taking place there, that can be discussed,” Sexton Smith said. “I don’t think it’s to be discussed in planning and zoning.”

Moreover, the spa has been open for about three years and in that time has abided by all local and state laws.

This is aside from the fact that bathhouses typically offer individuals – gay, straight or otherwise – safer alternatives to have sex. That means safer in terms of chances of contracting an STD and in terms of physical safety. Most bathhouses offer free condoms and private spaces where sexual activities are hidden from public view.

“Why would you treat them any differently than some of the other entertainment venues where people meet one another and they decided they’re going to become sex partners,” she asked pointing out James’ use of CDC figures. “There are clubs that cater to heterosexuals and there are clubs that cater to men who have sex with men.

“The issue is if you are heavy-handed, you can drive some of the (men who have sex with men) activity underground and we really don’t want to do that,” Schulte added. “I’m not going to get into legislating morality.”

Despite his objections and surreptitious visit to the spa to document activity that isn’t illegal, James lost when the issue came to a vote.

WHAS 11 reported today, “Council members voted to approve the zoning for the 20 million dollar project. Construction will continue. James did abstain from voting, but wants to further address whether or not sex clubs in general should be allowed in Louisville.”

Tim Peacock is the Managing Editor and founder of Peacock Panache and has worked as a civil rights advocate for over twenty years. During that time he’s worn several hats including leading on campus LGBT advocacy in the University of Missouri campus system, interning with the Colorado Civil Rights Division, and volunteering at advocacy organizations. You can learn more about him at his personal website.

Are you nuts? You aren’t paying to have sex. You pay to go in, use the gym. The pools, the steam room, and the facilities. If people engage in behavior there, they aren’t charging money for it, it’s in a private club.

If he found the ID on the street, why did he keep it at all? Did it just happen to look like him? What did he plan to do with it? SMH. The whole thing sounds bogus to me. And how did he get into the private areas? Was he walking around in nothing but a towel? Lots of unanswered questions. ????